Work On Rails To Delay Traffic On Colonial

Replacement of a railroad crossing on Colonial Drive east of Interstate 4 is expected to create traffic problems beginning Monday.

State Department of Transportation officials say three lanes of Colonial Drive will be closed at a time while Seaboard Systems Railroad crews remove the crossing and install a rubberized one.

There will be two lanes of eastbound traffic at all times, but westbound traffic will be cut to one lane, DOT officials said. Westbound drivers will be encouraged to avoid the work by going north on Magnolia Avenue, west on Marks Street and south on Garland Avenue back to Colonial Drive.

C. A. Benedict, deputy assistant secretary for the DOT's 5th District, said the work will be inconvenient for drivers but is necessary to maintain a safe crossing.